Walmart today announced that it has teamed up with national wireless carrier T-Mobile to offer an exclusive no-contract 4G connectivity offering. The new 4G offering will be available at all 2,200 Walmart stores.

“Walmart is proud to offer our customers fast and affordable mobile options, especially as texting and social networking become a regular form of communication,” said Seong Ohm, senior vice president of entertainment, Walmart U.S. “Together with our suppliers we continue to ensure the products our customers want and need — from the latest smartphone and TV to groceries and toys — are available at every day low prices.”

The service will be sold online at T-Mobile and Walmart, but will only be offered in-store at Walmart. The new plan is $30 monthly and allows 4G speeds for 5GB monthly. The plan also offers unlimited texts, 100 minutes of talk, and talking is ten cents per minute after the 100 minutes are used. The plan requires a pre-paid phone to subscribe and there are now six of them to choose from with the addition of the 4G handset.

“T-Mobile is thrilled to offer this exclusive, affordable service plan, designed specifically with heavy text and data users in mind, to meet the demand for prepaid, which is expected to double by 2015,” said Amy McCune, vice president of national retail, T-Mobile USA. “Walmart is known for providing consumers incredible value, making T-Mobile an ideal partner, and T-Mobile is delivering great prices, convenient options and a reliable nationwide 4G network, which we know Walmart customers appreciate.”

It's worth noting that this isn't real 4G service. This is the faster HSPA+ service that AT&T and T-Mobile are trying to dress up like 4G rather than WiMAX or LTE service that is true 4G.
The plan is expected to launch on October 16.

quote: Why the hell anybody would spend $400+ on a smartphone is beyond me.

Oh my god, they don't! That's my whole point. They just get the 2 year plan so they can "afford" the phone they really want to use. Hardly anybody straight up buys a phone these days.

I mean, am I crazy here? I was under the impression that Wal-Mart was NOT the worlds largest cell provider, and that most people went to a major carrier for their phones. But nope, apparently I'm just wacko!